Innocent Bystanders

These guys are the latest Bystanders. That's Wayne O'Connor on the left and Jim Leslie on the right.

Innocent Bystanders is a group of seasoned Canadian musicians who have been writing and recording original music since 1993. They consist of George Bertok (left), Dave Bingham (center), and J. P. Hovercraft (right). George has been playing keyboards almost all his life and J. P. is celebrating his 30th year as a bass player. Both are former members of the legendary Max Mouse and the Gorillas as well as long-time members of Ronnie Hawkins' guitarist Buzz Thompson's band, The Downtown Sound. Dave is the former singer with the Ugly Ducklings whose #1 hit Gaslight is slated to be re-issued as part of a CD retrospective later this year.

Working primarily at Hovercraft Studio, they have recently completed material for their first CD, to be titled Edgewise. Musically, their influences are widely varied, including "World", "Prog-Rock", and a healthy dose of R&B.

Dave is the Bystander's principal vocalist/lyricist and he also blows a mean harp. He's written some of the music as well, and his contributions to the arrangements have been invaluable.

George plays anything and everything. He is the band's principal guitarist/keyboardist, and has contributed most of the drum parts and several bass parts. He has also written the majority of the music played by the Bystanders.

J. P. is the Bystander's primary bassist, engineer and backup vocalist. He has also written some of the material, both music and lyric. He's also sung lead and played flute and Chapman Stick on a few of the songs.

All of the Bystanders have had a go at playing almost everything. Dave has played guitar and percussion. J. P. has played drums, keyboards, percussion, and guitar. George has sung and played percussion. All have had a hand in production/mixing. By removing "role" constraints, the result is that the Bystanders draw on the sum of their combined musical experience and talent.

The Innocent Bystanders will be playing live in 1997. Jim Leslie (drums), another founding member of Max Mouse and the Gorillas, and Wayne O'Connor (guitar) have committed to the project.

Rehearsals are currently taking place at Hank to Hendrix, the guitar shop Wayne operates with Royden Moran. (Wayne is an accomplished luthier and has built basses for Will Lee and Marcus Miller. He's currently working on a 5-string bass for J. P., the first bass in a projected line of instruments. He's also preparing to record an album of his own material at Hovercraft Studio.) Jim's deep-dish solidity and Wayne's technique and willingness to explore are welcome additions to the Bystanders stew.

Over served!

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Modified: 15-July-1998

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